1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that displays a captured image imported from a camera into the apparatus, a captured image located in a camera, and the like, as well as to an image display method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the recent spread of digital cameras, the increase in the capacity of storage devices, and so on, it is becoming more and more common for users to use digital image data to display a large number of images on PC (personal computer) screens, and browse and edit those images. Against this background, various types of image display methods have been proposed with the purpose of making the browsing of a large amount of data located in PCs, cameras, and so on more efficient.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-333171 (called “Patent Document 1” hereinafter) can be given as an example of a method for displaying image data located within a PC, camera, or the like. In Patent Document 1, when a list of multiple images is displayed using information such as their shooting dates and times, the image files are sorted using date and time data considered by the user to be appropriate, selected from date and time data recorded within the image file and updated date and time data of the image file. To be more specific, it is possible to set a priority order for the date and time information used as a key for sorting the image files. Therefore, it is possible for the user to preferentially select, from among the date and time data recorded in the image files and the updated date and time data of the image files, the data that she or he feels is appropriate as a key, and sort the image files.
However, typical image display processes, such as that included in Patent Document 1, do not take into consideration the difference in processing speeds between the case where image files are received from an external device such as a camera and sorted, and the case where image files within the PC are sorted. For this reason, when using one of these dates and times for sorting, obtaining the sort results for the image files within the external device tends to require more time than obtaining the sort results for the image files within the PC. Such a difference in speeds for the sorting processes results in a sense of unnaturalness of the part of the user.